Deer hunters and coyotes share space in the timber
Coyotes and white-tailed deer have coexisted for ages. Chris Young/The State Journal-Register.
by Chris YoungNobody Likes Competition.
Sure a little competitiveness can be healthy and keep you on your toes. But in the woods, hunters do not welcome the presence of other predators.This fall, at least some deer hunting conversation has turned to the presence of coyotes and what that might do to a buck's normal routine — and a hunter's shot at success.
But the state's deer biologist says the coexistence of the white-tailed deer and the coyote is part of the normal routine.Mike Fulk of Lincoln is one hunter who expressed concern about the number of coyotes he's seen."For me, bow season was terrible," he says. "For one thing, there are so many coyotes in our area that I saw nearly as many coyotes as I saw deer."Fulk says he saw coyotes chasing deer by his stand, and says he is concerned their presence disrupted the usual routines of deer in his Logan County hunting area."I couldn't pattern anything," he says of the practice to learn a buck's habits and set up a hunting location to take advantage of that daily routine. "There have been a lot of people complaining about them. They definitely are the next things on the list to go hunting for."--lousy and lazy, I would call this hunter--blogger Rick
Paul Shelton, forest wildlife program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, says white-tailed deer and coyotes have been putting up with each other for ages."You have to remember that coyotes in Illinois are part of 'the usual patterns and routines,' and both deer and coyotes have adapted to the presence of the other on a year-round basis," he says.--science based fact!!!!-blogger Rick
Matt Law of Litchfield says he shot a coyote that appeared to be chasing a young buck."A four-pointer ran under my stand, and I thought maybe a bigger buck was chasing him," Law says. "But it was a coyote."Law took the coyote with his bow.
"(Coyote hunting) is our second fun thing to do after deer season," he says. "We do a lot of coyote hunting and they are all over the place."Hunters and trappers take about 7,000 coyotes a year, according to DNR. Hunting is allowed all year.
Like deer, turkeys and other Illinois wildlife, coyotes were almost eliminated from the state a little over a century ago.But they have made a strong comeback.Law says his son Brian counted nine coyotes at one time during a hunt this fall, but adds that he doesn't think their presence is a big issue."They might mess with the newborns in the spring," he says. "In the spring time it might have some effect, but as far as them tackling the big ones, I don't think so."--true for the western coyote which is not large enough at 25 to 35 pounds to tackle adult deer effectively--blogger Rick
According to a Chicago-area study cited on the Illinois DNR furbearer Website, white-tailed deer make up 22 percent of a coyote's diet. Small rodents accounted for the highest percentage, amounting for 43 percent. Fruit, rabbits and birds were the next most popular food items.An Iowa study of winter eating habitats showed rabbits were most popular at 51 percent. Mice accounted for more than a quarter of the coyote's diet and other mammals added up to 8 percent.
Shelton says coyotes will take advantage of an opportunity, especially if a deer is sick or injured."There are two times of year when deer constitute a significant part of coyote diet," he says. "One is in the late spring-early summer, when for a several-week period, recently-born fawns are susceptible to coyote predation."
Hunters may be surprised to learn they are responsible for second period of the year."And two, during the deer hunting season — particularly late-November through early December — by-products of field dressing almost 200,000 deer are left for coyotes and other scavengers to clean up."--ironically our deer predation enlargens the food supply of coyotes just in front of mating season(Jan-Feb)--blogger Rick
Shelton says it is not beneficial for coyotes to burn valuable energy trying to target deer as a food source."They tend to be pretty ineffective at it," he says. "And both the deer and the coyotes know this--deer hunters who complain about western coyotes dampening deer herds are smoking something strange!!!!!!--blogger Rick
But the state's deer biologist says the coexistence of the white-tailed deer and the coyote is part of the normal routine.Mike Fulk of Lincoln is one hunter who expressed concern about the number of coyotes he's seen."For me, bow season was terrible," he says. "For one thing, there are so many coyotes in our area that I saw nearly as many coyotes as I saw deer."Fulk says he saw coyotes chasing deer by his stand, and says he is concerned their presence disrupted the usual routines of deer in his Logan County hunting area."I couldn't pattern anything," he says of the practice to learn a buck's habits and set up a hunting location to take advantage of that daily routine. "There have been a lot of people complaining about them. They definitely are the next things on the list to go hunting for."--lousy and lazy, I would call this hunter--blogger Rick
Paul Shelton, forest wildlife program manager for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, says white-tailed deer and coyotes have been putting up with each other for ages."You have to remember that coyotes in Illinois are part of 'the usual patterns and routines,' and both deer and coyotes have adapted to the presence of the other on a year-round basis," he says.--science based fact!!!!-blogger Rick
Matt Law of Litchfield says he shot a coyote that appeared to be chasing a young buck."A four-pointer ran under my stand, and I thought maybe a bigger buck was chasing him," Law says. "But it was a coyote."Law took the coyote with his bow.
"(Coyote hunting) is our second fun thing to do after deer season," he says. "We do a lot of coyote hunting and they are all over the place."Hunters and trappers take about 7,000 coyotes a year, according to DNR. Hunting is allowed all year.
Like deer, turkeys and other Illinois wildlife, coyotes were almost eliminated from the state a little over a century ago.But they have made a strong comeback.Law says his son Brian counted nine coyotes at one time during a hunt this fall, but adds that he doesn't think their presence is a big issue."They might mess with the newborns in the spring," he says. "In the spring time it might have some effect, but as far as them tackling the big ones, I don't think so."--true for the western coyote which is not large enough at 25 to 35 pounds to tackle adult deer effectively--blogger Rick
According to a Chicago-area study cited on the Illinois DNR furbearer Website, white-tailed deer make up 22 percent of a coyote's diet. Small rodents accounted for the highest percentage, amounting for 43 percent. Fruit, rabbits and birds were the next most popular food items.An Iowa study of winter eating habitats showed rabbits were most popular at 51 percent. Mice accounted for more than a quarter of the coyote's diet and other mammals added up to 8 percent.
Shelton says coyotes will take advantage of an opportunity, especially if a deer is sick or injured."There are two times of year when deer constitute a significant part of coyote diet," he says. "One is in the late spring-early summer, when for a several-week period, recently-born fawns are susceptible to coyote predation."
Hunters may be surprised to learn they are responsible for second period of the year."And two, during the deer hunting season — particularly late-November through early December — by-products of field dressing almost 200,000 deer are left for coyotes and other scavengers to clean up."--ironically our deer predation enlargens the food supply of coyotes just in front of mating season(Jan-Feb)--blogger Rick
Shelton says it is not beneficial for coyotes to burn valuable energy trying to target deer as a food source."They tend to be pretty ineffective at it," he says. "And both the deer and the coyotes know this--deer hunters who complain about western coyotes dampening deer herds are smoking something strange!!!!!!--blogger Rick
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